King Bhumibol of Thailand 60 Years on The Throne Anniversary H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, The Great, addressing the crowd during the 60 years on the throne celebrations B eing born on 5th December 1927 and acceded to the throne as King Rama IX on 9th June 1946, the King of Thailand is the world's longest-reigning monarch and the longest-serving Head of State. From Sukhothai to Ayutthaya through Thonburi to Bangkok T he Thai monarchy has been in continuous existence since 1238 A.D., the founding date of the Kingdom of Sukhothai by King Sri Indraditya ï¿½ the first King of a unified Thailand. In 1279, the King Ramkhamhaeng, called Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng the Great (the father of the nation), came to the throne. The Kingdom of Sukhothai was eventually succeeded by the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, founded in 1351 by King Ramathibodhi I.

For four centuries Thai Kings, especially the King Trailokanat, ruled Ayutthaya, presiding over some of the greatest period of cultural, economic and military growth in Thai History. All of this ended in 1767, when a Burmese Army invaded and sacked the city of Ayutthaya. A fter the fall of Ayutthaya kingdom, there was a brief episode in the history of Siam associated first with the civil war, and then, the short-lived Thonburi Kingdom under the King Taksin. In 1782, a new Kingdom was established by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke or Rama I, when he moved the capital from Thonburi across the Chao Phraya river to Bangkok. Actually, at that time it was an Island on Chao Phraya river called Rattanakosin. Thus, has been launched a new distinct period in Thai history called Rattanakosin Era. T he King Rama I has founded the Chakri dynasty, which is currently ruling in Thailand.

In 1868, the King Chulalongkorn or Rama V called The Great Beloved King ascended the throne as King of Siam. Being educated by Westerners, he embraced many of European and Western ideas in modernizing Siamese kingdom. King Chulalongkorn managed to save Siam from being colonized and was considered one of the greatest kings of Siam. In 1910, he was succeeded by his son the King Vajiravudh or Rama VI, who brought the monarchy into the 20th century. In 1925, he was succeeded by his brother the King Prajadhipok or Rama VII. The institution reached its current constitutional form in 1932, after a bloodless coup carried out by a group of foreign educated students called "the Promoters", which ended the absolute monarchy. Diamond Jubilee F rom 8th till 13th June 2006 Thailand celebrated the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne. The celebrations incorporated series of events marking Bhumibol's reign.

Events included the royal barge procession on the Chao Phraya River, fireworks displays, art exhibitions, pardoning 25,000 prisoners, concerts and dance performances. Royal visitors took part in a state banquet that was held in the newly constructed Rama IX Throne Hall at the Grand Palace, the first official function for the hall. The Chiang Mai Royal Flora Expo was also held to honour the anniversary. P eople all over the country have been wearing yellow shirts with the royal emblem in celebration of this very special event. Kings and queens, monarchs and sultans, princes and princesses, royal ancestries, royalties and dignitaries from 25 countries around the world gathered in the Thailand capital Bangkok to mark King Bhumibol Adulyadej 60 years on the throne and pay their respects. H ighly revered as a semi-divine figure and immensely popular among Thai people, HM the King Bhumibol, 78, the world's longest-reigning monarch, addressed a cheering crowd of hundreds of thousands of people in Bangkok. Speaking from the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, the king said that unity would bring prosperity to Thailand.

"Unity is a basis for all Thais to help preserve and bring prosperity to the country in the long run," the king told the crowd of hundreds of thousands of people stretched over several kilometers long from Bangkok's Royal Plaza. Colourful anniversary celebrations in Bangkok Tied in with the 60th anniversary, in May 2006, Kofi Annan UN Secretary-General at the time presented Bhumibol Adulyadej with the United Nations Development Programme's first and only Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award. Biography of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej B eing the third and youngest child of TRH Prince and Princess Mahidol of Songkhla, Bhumibol was born on 5 December 1927 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States, and has been educated primarily in Switzerland. Amongst a variety of interests and involvements, he is also an accomplished musician, a spirited artist, and an energetic sailor, as well as an enthusiastic photographer ï¿½ lifetime's passion now.

F ollowing the death of his older brother King Ananda Mahidol or Rama VIII (which resulted from a gunshot to the head, under circumstances that to this day remain a mystery), Bhumibol (18 years of age) ascended to the throne on 9 June 1946, when Harry Truman was in the White House and Josef Stalin ruled the former Soviet Union. His Coronation was delayed in order to allow King Bhumibol to return to Switzerland and complete his education. To be prepared for his new position, Bhumibol switched over his field of study to the Law and Political Science. F ollowing the completion of his education in Switzerland, Bhumibol returned to Thailand, and on 5 May 1950 (Coronation Day) he was crowned as King of Thailand Rama IX at the Royal Palace in Bangkok. One week prior to his Coronation, on 28 April 1950 King Bhumibol married to Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kittiyakara.

The royal couple (King Bhumibol and his wife Queen Sirikit) have four children: (Formerly HRH) Princess Ubol Ratana, born 5 April 1951 in Lausanne Switzerland HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, born 28 July 1952 in Bangkok Thailand HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, born 2 April 1955 in Bangkok Thailand HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak, born 4 July 1957 in Bangkok Thailand. As a Constitutional Monarch King Bhumibol has only three direct "rights": The right to encourage Brief Biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Share By Kallie Szczepanski The current king of Thailand , Bhumibol Adulyadej, is the longest-reigning monarch in the world today, as well as Thailand's longest-reigning king ever. The beloved king's common name is pronounced "POO-mee-pohn uh-DOON-ja-deht"; his throne name is Rama IX.

Early Life: Born a second son, and with his birth taking place outside of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej was never meant to rule. His reign came about through a mysterious act of violence. Since then, the King has been a calm presence at the center of Thailand's stormy political life. On December 5, 1927, a Thai princess gave birth to a son named Bhumibol Adulyadej ("Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power") in a Cambridge, Massachusetts hospital. The family was in the United States because the child's father, Prince Mahidol, was studying for a Public Health certificate at Harvard University . His mother studied nursing at Simmons College . The boy was the second son for Prince Mahidol and Princess Srinagarindra. continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States When Bhumibol was a year old, his family returned to Thailand, where his father took up an intership in a hospital in Chiang Mai . Prince Mahidol was in poor health, though, and died of kidney and liver failure in September of 1929.

Schooling in Switzerland: In 1932, a coalition of military officers and civil servants staged a coup against King Rama VII . The "Revolution of 1932" ended the Chakri Dynasty's absolute rule and created a constitutional monarchy. Concerned for their safety, Princess Srinagarindra took her two young sons and little daughter to Switzerland the following year. The children were placed into Swiss schools. In March of 1935, King Rama VII abdicated in favor of his 9-year-old nephew, Bhumibol's older brother Ananda Mahidol. The child king and his siblings remained in Switzerland, however, and two regents ruled the kingdom in his name. Ananda Mahidol returned to Thailand in 1938, but Bhumibol remained in Europe. The younger brother continued his studies in Switzerland until 1945, when he left the University of Lausanne at the end of World War II . Mysterious Succession: On June 9, 1946, King Ananda Mahidol died in his palace bedroom of a single gunshot wound to the head.

It was never conclusively proven whether his death was murder, accident or suicide, although two royal pages and the king's personal secretary were convicted and executed for assassinating him. 18-year-old Prince Bhumibol had gone in to his brother's room about 20 minutes before the gun went off, so conspiracy theorists have long implicated him in Ananda Mahidol's death. Bhumibol's uncle was appointed his Prince Regent, and the new king returned to the University of Lausanne to finish his degree. In deference to his new role, he changed his major from science to political science and law. Accident and Marriage: Just as his father had done in Massachusetts, Bhumibol met his wife-to-be while studying overseas. The young king often went to Paris, where he met the daughter of Thailand's ambassador to France, a student named Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kiriyakara. Bhumibol and Sirikit began a demure courtship based on taking in Paris' tourist sights . In October of 1948, Bhumibol rear-ended a truck and was seriously injured. He lost his right eye and suffered a painful back injury.

Sirikit spent a lot of time nursing and entertaining the injured king; his mother urged the young woman to transfer to a school in Lausanne so that she could continue her studies while getting to know Bhumibol better. On April 28, 1950, King Bhumibol and Sirikit got married in Bangkok. She was 17 years old; he was 22. The King was officially coronated one week later. Military Coups and Dictatorships: The newly crowned king had very little actual power. Thailand was ruled by military dictator Plaek Pibulsonggram until 1957, when the first of a long series of coups removed him from office. Bhumibol declared martial law during the crisis, which ended with a new dictatorship forming under the king's close ally Sarit Dhanarajata. Over the next six years, Bhumibol would revive many abandoned Chakri traditions. He also made many public appearances around Thailand, significantly reviving the prestige of the throne. Sarit died in 1963, and was succeeded by Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn.

Ten years later, Thanom sent out the troops against huge public protests, killing hundreds of protestors. Bhumibol opened Chitralada Palace's gates to offer refuge to the demonstrators as they fled the soldiers. The king then removed Thanom from power and appointed a the first of a series of civilian leaders. In 1976, however, Thanom returned from overseas exile, sparking another round of demonstrations that ended in the October 6 Massacre, in which 46 students were killed and 167 injured at Thammasat University. In the aftermath of the massacre, Admiral Sangad Chaloryu staged yet another coup and took power. Further coups took place in 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985 and 1991. Although King Bhumibol tried to stay above the fray, he refused to support the 1981 and 1985 coups. His prestige was damaged by the constant unrest, however. Transition to Democracy: When a military coup leader was selected as Prime Minister in 1992, huge protests broke out in Thailand's cities.

The demonstrations turned into riots, and the police and military were rumored to be dividing into factions. Fearing a civil war, King Bhumibol called the coup leader and the opposition leader to an audience at the palace. Bhumibol was able to pressure the coup leader into resigning; new elections were called, and a civilian government was elected. This intervention by the king was the beginning of an era of civilian-led democracy that has continued with just one interruption to this day. Bhumibol's image as an advocate for the people, reluctantly intervening in the political fray to protect his subjects, was cemented by this success. Lese Majeste and Royal Prerogatives: Although Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, Bhumibol retains more powers than other heads of state such as Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II . He can veto laws passed by parliament, pardon convicted criminals, and approve or disapprove cabinet members. Bhumibol also has significant leeway in allocating money to his own pet development projects within the country. From outside of Thailand, King Bhumibol looks very much like other modern kings - quiet, dignified, with plenty of hobbies to fill his free time.

However, to the Thai people he is quasi-divine, the Buddhist "Dharmaraja" and an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu . As such, he is protected by strict laws of lese majeste . Most Thai citizens genuinely love and revere their king. However, anyone who feels otherwise, and criticizes Bhumibol or any other member of the royal family (living or dead), faces as much as fifteen years in prison. Bhumibol himself has invited criticism in a 2005 speech, but nobody can publicly support his position and advocate repeal of the lese majeste laws without breaking them! 2006 Coup: In April of 2006, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his party were accused of lese majeste, including plans to depose King Bhumibol. The accusers produced no evidence at all, but this incident helped fuel an on-going political crisis. On September 19, 2006, the military overthrew Thaksin's government and declared martial law. King Bhumibol endorsed this coup, and Thaksin was forced into exile.

As of this writing, Thaksin's younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is the Prime Minister. King Bhumibol's 60th Anniversary: In June of 2006, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit celebrated the 60th Anniversary of their rule, also known as the Diamond Jubilee. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan presented the king with a Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the festivities. In addition, there were banquets, fireworks, royal barge processions, concerts and official royal pardons for 25,000 convicts. The joyous celebration of Bhumibol's 60-year reign brought to the fore worrisome questions of his succession. The octogenarian king has spent much of the past two years in the hospital, suffering from back problems, Parkinson's disease and depression. Bhumibol and Sirikit's son, Prince Bajiralongkorn (born 1952), is the heir apparent, but he is not nearly as popular as his parents.

Prince Bajiralongkorn is rumored to have a gambling problem and a very active private life, in addition to be "erratic." The prince's sister, Princess Sirindhorn, is more popular than her brother, and the Thai Constitution allows princesses to be appointed successor if there is no male heir apparent. Most constitutional scholars believe that King Bhumibol could appoint his daughter as his successor if he chose, but he has not made any indication that he will do so. King Bhumibol's Life and Legacy Although he was never intended for the throne, Bhumibol Adulyadej has been a successful and increasingly beloved king of Thailand over the many decades of his reign. Superficially his life seems similar to other monarchs, such as Japan's Emperor Akihito ; both are semi-divine, have a life-long interest in science, enjoy art and music, etc. However, unlike the current Emperor of Japan , Bhumibol plays a significant if shadowy role in the politics of his realm. The ninth Chakri king of Thailand has guided his country through very turbulent political waters.

In fact, he has already earned the title " The Great ." How the nation will fare after he passes away is anybody's guess. Thailand country profile - BBC News BBC News Read more about sharing. Close share panel Thailand is the only country in south-east Asia to have escaped colonial rule. Buddhist religion, the monarchy and the military have helped to shape its society and politics. The military has ruled for most of the period since 1947, with a few interludes in which the country had a democratically elected government. Since 2001, Thai politics have been dominated by the irreconcilable split between supporters and detractors of Thaksin Shinawatra, who served as prime minister until he was ousted by the military in 2006. Thaksin's sister Yingluck became prime minister following the 2011 election but was in her turn ousted by a military coup in 2014.

Read more country profiles - Profiles by BBC Monitoring FACTS Area 513,115 sq km (198,115 sq miles) Major language Thai Life expectancy Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 78 years (women) Currency baht Head of state: King Maha Vajiralongkorn Image copyright Getty Images Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. Maha Vajiralongkorn, the 10th Thai monarch of the Chakri dynasty, was proclaimed king in December 2016. He succeeded former King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, who died on 13 October 2016. He has been active in the military. He has not achieved the same level of popularity as his widely-revered father, and there has been criticism of his lifestyle. Prime minister: Prayuth Chan-ocha Image copyright Getty Images General Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power in a coup in May 2014 and was named as prime minister by the military-appointed parliament a few months later.

Thailand's military has a history of intervening in politics and has seized power 12 times since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932. MEDIA Image copyright Getty Images The government and military control nearly all the national terrestrial television networks and operate many of Thailand's radio networks. The media are free to criticise government policies, and cover instances of corruption and human rights abuses. A strict lese majeste law prohibits media in Thailand from reporting anything that could be deemed critical of the royal family and journalists tend to exercise self-censorship regarding the military, the judiciary and other sensitive issues. Monarchy History - Pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt over the course of three millennia (c. 3150 BCE to 31 BCE) until Egypt was absorbed by the Roman Empire. In the same time period, several kingdoms flourished in the nearby Nubia region. In the Horn of Africa, the Aksumite Empire (4th c. BCE - 1st c. BCE) and later the Ethiopian Empire (1270-1974) were ruled by a series of monarchs. Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, was deposed in a coup d'état.

The Kanem Empire (700-1376) was in central Africa. Kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Kongo (1400–1914) existed in southern Africa. Other powerful African monarchs incuded the Oba of Benin who ruled over the Benin Empire with its capital at Benin in modern day Nigera (unrelated to the modern day country of the Republic of Benin). The oba, (meaning king or ruler in the Yoruba language), at Oyo who had the title, Alaafin of Oyo, once lead the famous Yoruba Oyo empire. During the reign of Igbo born Jaja of Opobo, Opobo was a small but wealthy African kingdom, being one of the most lucrative palm oil centers of trade. Europeans conquered, bought, or established African kingdoms and styled themselves as a monarch. Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa , concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt . The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh , and it developed over the next three millennia.

Its history occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods. Ancient Egypt reached its pinnacle during the New Kingdom , after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers in this late period. The rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when Egypt fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province . Pharaohs and Royalty The term pharaoh, pr-aA - lit. great house, in the sense of palace, goes back to the Old Kingdom. As part of the royal titular it came into use only in the early first millennium BCE, in monumental inscriptions possibly as late as the reign of Sheshong III. Ideally, for most of Egyptian history, one should not refer to the king as pharaoh, but as the kingship remained basically unchanged for millennia until the advent of Christianity and the abandonment of the traditional world view, referring to this intrinsically Egyptian institution as pharaonic is reasonable, even if at times anachronistic. The pharaohs were often referred to as nswt, translated as 'King', and Hm, rendered as 'Majesty'.

Thus the official Sia-Khufu described himself in a rockinscription in the Upperegyptian Eastern Desert as: jrj-jx,t-nsw.t (custodian of the king's property) jrr mrrt Hm=f (who does what His Majesty loves) The royal titular The Egyptians perceived clearly that their overlord fulfilled a number of essentially different roles. From the late Old Kingdom on the pharaoh bore five titles which reflected some of his functions: The oldest was the Horus name written inside a serekh , which he assumed when acceding to power as the heir to Horus, ruler of the world (i.e. Egypt) The name of the Two Ladies, the protective goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, since the first dynasty The Golden Horus name The name of enthronement as the king of the "sedge and bee", used since the fifth dynasty, it became the main name by which a pharaoh was known in antiquity.

This name and the given name (see below) were written inside cartouches His given name as the son of Re (since the fourth dynasty, has become the name by which pharaohs are known today and to which we add ordinal numbers if needed) A Pharaoh was the Ancient Egyptian equivalent of a king (although Queen Nefertiti became the first female Pharaoh). Pharaohs were considered to be Gods in human form, so people respected, obeyed and feared them. They had much more power over the land that the queen has over England today, and what they said had to be done. According to tradition, incestuous marriages between the pharaohs and their sisters were common. If this was the case, it could have been done to emulate the god Osiris and his sister/wife the goddess Isis and/or to keep the sacred bloodline pure. On the other hand, the historical record for a lot of Egyptian antiquity is spotty and open to interpretation; some would argue that this tradition is based on a modern misreading of inscriptions while others claim that brother-sister unions were usually symbolic and that other concubines were the mothers of the pharaohs' offspring.

Some famous Pharaohs: Akhenaton The Creator of Monotheism (1375-1358 B.C). Akhenaton was the first ruler in recorded history to believe in the concept of One God. He also taught this concept to all his citizens. He built a new city in the desert that was dedicated to religion, art and music. This new city, Akhenaton (now Tell el Amara), with its lush gardens and magnificent buildings is where Akhenaton and his wife Queen Nefertiti changed Kemet's culture so radically that their influence is felt for centuries right up until today. Akhenaton was also the first Pharaoh of whom a true likeness is recorded as shown in the picture below. Ramses II (the Great) was one of the most prolific builders of ancient Egypt. Hardly a site exists that he did not initiate, add to, complete, or build entirely himself. Some of the greatest monuments on any tour of Egypt bear his stamp: Abu Simbel, Karnak and Luxor Temples, the Ramesseum, and many others. He also commissioned the largest monolithic statue ever, a seated statue of himself at the Ramesseum.

Now lying in pieces, the giant red-granite statue inspired many. Tutankhaten became pharoah after the death of Smenkhkare, and became one of history's most famous royalty. Tutankhaten's story has since come out, and we know more about this boy-king than we do about any other person in the Kemartic period. Tutankhaten became pharoah at the age of nine. He married Ankhesenpaaten and ruled from Akhetaten. Four years after he became king, Tutankhaten moved his capital back to Memphis, and changed his name to Tutankamun, in honor of the God Amun. Tutankamun, ruled for nine years, until he was 18. The mummy discovered in the Valley of the Kings has an injury to the skull, and it is believed that Tutankamun was either the victim of an accident or he was assassinated. His tomb is one of very few that have been discovered almost untouched by thieves. Akhenaton Nubian Royalty The ancient region of Nubia was located in northeast Africa, in what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan.

The first group of Nubian people that we know much about, called the A-Group by archaeologists, lived around 3500 BC, but there is evidence of civilization in Nubia as far back as 8000 BC. Because Nubians were great archers, the Egyptians called Nubia "Ta-Seti," or Land of the Bow. The name Nubia came into use in the Middle Ages. Although it was a hot, dry land, ancient Nubia was a treasure trove of gold, ivory, stone, and other riches, and therefore a tempting target to foreign rulers. At times Egypt ruled Nubia; at other times, various Nubian kingdoms flourished. The great kingdom of Kush (or Cush) was located in south Nubia. The ancient Greeks called it Ethiopia. In the 8th century BC, Kush -- led by King Piankhi (or Piye) and later his brother and successor King Shabaka -- conquered Egypt. These Kushite kings founded Egypt's 25th ruling dynasty. After Shabaka died, Piankhi's son Shebitku became pharaoh; he was succeeded by his brother Taharqa.

But the Nubian Dynasty's reign in Egypt proved to be short-lived. In the middle of the 7th century BC, Taharqa was driven out of Egypt by the Assyrians. He and his cousin Tanutamon, who succeeded Taharqa as king of Kush, tried but failed to regain the Egyptian throne. Around 592 BC, Egypt sacked Kush's capital, Napata. After that, the city of Meroe became the capital of Kush. The kingdom lasted for some 900 years more. One notable Kushite ruler was the fierce one-eyed warrior queen Amanirenas, who battled an occupying Roman army in the first century AD. Her ambassadors were conducted into the presence of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar , and according to the Roman writer Strabo, they "obtained all that they desired, and Caesar even remitted the tribute which he had imposed." Queen Amanirenas had won; the Romans withdrew from most of Nubia. It seems Kush gradually went into decline, and crumbled completely after the armies of Aksum (a kingdom of ancient Ethiopia ) conquered Meroe around 350 AD.

New kingdoms arose in Nubia, and these kingdoms started converting to Christianity in the 6th century AD. Around 1400, Nubia began falling under the control of Arab rulers, and many Nubians converted to Islam. But much of Nubian culture has survived through the centuries, and the Nubian language is still spoken today in Egypt and Sudan. As part of the Scramble for Africa , Europeans conquered, bought, or established African kingdoms and styled themselves as monarchs. Currently the African nations of Morocco , Lesotho and Swaziland are sovereign monarchies under dynasties that are native to the continent. Places like St. Helena , Ceuta , Melilla and the Canary Islands are ruled by the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the King of Spain , while so-called sub-national monarchies of varying sizes can be found all over the rest of the continent e.g. the Yoruba city-state of Akure in south-western Nigeria is something of an elective monarchy, with its reigning Oba having to be chosen by an electoral college of nobles from amongst a finite collection of royal princes and princesses of the realm.

OTHER AFRICAN KINGDOMS Other African Royalty West Africa hosted the Kanem Empire (700 - 1376) and its successor, the Bornu principality which survives to the present day as a part of the Federation of Nigeria . In East Africa , the Aksumite Empire and later the Ethiopian Empire (1270-1974) were ruled by a series of monarchs. Haile Selassie , the last Emperor of Ethiopia, was deposed in a communist coup . Central and Southern Africa were largely isolated from other regions until the modern era, but they did later feature kingdoms like the Kingdom of Kongo (1400–1914). As part of the Scramble for Africa , Europeans conquered, bought, or established African kingdoms and styled themselves as monarchs. Currently the African nations of Morocco , Lesotho and Swaziland are sovereign monarchies under dynasties that are native to the continent. Places like St.

Helena , Ceuta , Melilla and the Canary Islands are ruled by the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the King of Spain , while so-called sub-national monarchies of varying sizes can be found all over the rest of the continent e.g. the Yoruba city-state of Akure in south-western Nigeria is something of an elective monarchy, with its reigning Oba having to be chosen by an electoral college of nobles from amongst a finite collection of royal princes and princesses of the realm. A very comprehensive list of other African Royalty can be found on this special web site: Dozens of monarchies have existed in European history. Many no longer have a monarch: Some monarchies dissolved into independent states (Austria-Hungary), others were dismantled by revolution (the Russian Empire ended after the Russian Revolution of 1917), and still others merged into a unified crown (for example, the Crown of Aragon and Crown of Castile became the Kingdom of Spain.) Medieval Monarchy Prince was a common title within the Holy Roman Empire , along with a number of higher titles listed below.

Such titles were granted by the Emperor, while the titulation of rulers of sovereign states was generally left to their own discretion, most often choosing King or Queen. Such titulations could cause diplomatic problems, and especially the elevation to Emperor or Empress was seen as an offensive action. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries smallest monarchies in Europe disappeared, merging to form larger entities, and so King the most common title for male rulers and Queen has become the most common title today for female rulers. Some medieval rulers, such as the Holy Roman Emperor (the temporal (earthly) protector of the pope), were elected but most monarchies were hereditary. As early as the 7th century AD, the Anglo-Saxon kings of England claimed the divine right of kings – that they were appointed by God and were accountable only to God. Monarchs were anointed in the coronation service, which declared their sovereignty over their subjects; in theory, to disobey the crown was, therefore, to disobey God. A document from the reign of Henry II of England (reigned 1154–89), called the Dialogue of the Exchequer, stated that nobody could withstand a royal decree.

To this theocratic (God-given) authority, the English monarchy added its feudal authority under the feudal system . The Domesday Book , a survey of England undertaken in 1086, made it clear that the king owned all the land in England. All the Anglo-Norman barons took a personal oath of allegiance to the crown, and held their land as vassals. Abolishing European Monarchies After World War One ended in 1918, the Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Turkish crown ceased to exist. The “Iron Curtain” which came down across Europe after 1945 turned several Balkan kingdoms into Russian communist satellites. The result was banishment and exile for their kings. An early victim was King Peter II of Yugoslavia who was deprived of his throne on Nov- ember 29. 1945, when the Communist guerrilla leader Josip Broz, better known as Marshal Tito, formally abolished the monarchy. The Lost Kingdom of Yugoslavia King Peter never recovered from the shock, which overshadowed the rest of his life. He went to the United States where he died at the age of 47 in 1970.

King Simeon II of Bulgaria Another Balkan monarch, King Simeon II of Bulgaria, proved much more resilient and enterprising. Simeon was nine years old in 1946, when the communist People’s Republic of Bulgaria abolished the monarchy and forced the child-king and his family into exile, first in Egypt, later in Spain. Simeon put his years in exile to positive use. He obtained a degree in law and political science and graduated from the prestigious Valley Forge Military Academy in the United States. Then, after fifty-five years in exile, he re-emerged in Bulgaria in a new guise, as Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha, political leader and head of the National Movement which won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections on June 17, 2001. Abdication at Gunpoint There was, however, no such happy ending for King Michael of Romania who was forced to abdicate his throne in 1947. His kingdom was replaced by a people’s republic, but Michael refused to go without a fight.

He refused several times to sign the abdication documents until, that is, Petru Groza, the communist Prime Minister who had ousted him let him feel his jacket pocket. “He had a pistol,” the king later recalled “I had no choice.” King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy was similarly forced off his throne. In 1946, after World War Two, Victor Emmanuel was obliged to abdicate. Later on that year, the Italians voted to abolish the monarchy and replace it with a republic. Victor Emmanuel died in his Egyptian exile in 1947. Greek Royal Family The Greek royal family had already been directly affected by the volatile nature of the kingdom which had long ago proved to be the graveyard of kings. The Greek monarchy was abolished twice. Three of its kings were forced to abdicate, one of them on two occasions. The final coup de grace came in 1967 when Greece succumbed to a military coup. A junta of fascist colonels, led by George Papadopoulos, seized power and exiled the king, Constantine II.

Constantine who had tried, but failed, to head off the coup, remained titular king of Greece until 1973 when the junta formally declared the monarchy at an end and proclaimed a republic. The following year, the junta collapsed and democratic government was restored, but not the monarchy. In a plebiscite, the Greeks voted against it and for King Constantine and his family, their exile in London became permanent. ASIA ROYALTY In China, "king" is the usual translation for the term wang (王), the sovereign before the Qin dynasty and during the Ten Kingdoms period. During the early Han dynasty, China had a number of small kingdoms, each about the size of a county and subordinate to the Emperor of China. The Japanese monarchy is now the only monarchy to still use the title of Emperor. Monarchs, as a consequence, have come to seem as obsolete as court jesters or princesses in towers. For nine out of 10 people in the world, royalty is the stuff of fairy tales. Yet in much of Asia, royalty is still a fact of life, a constant and living presence. In Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej is just such a presence.

Recently, Thais marked, with genuine joy, the 60th anniversary of the King's coronation—five days of dazzling celebrations attended by crowned heads from 25 nations Venerated partly through tradition and the law, but mainly for the way they are perceived to have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of the Thai people, it can be hard for foreigners to comprehend the relationship between the monarchy and the common people. King Bhumibol Adulyadej- the longest reigning monarch in the world - and his wife Queen Sirikit stand out as extraordinary exceptions. Held in overwhelming affection by the vast majority of Thai citizens, they are viewed as symbols of national identity every bit as much as the flag or national anthem and pictures of the King and Queen adorn almost home and office building. They've travelled extensively to the remotest and most deprived parts of Thailand to find out and listen to the concerns of the rural poor and then endeavor to provide practical solutions. Despite having royal photographers, the King often takes photos himself to document what he finds and is frequently seen in royal photos with a camera around his neck.

The results are impressive - the King personally holds patents on a artificial rain making techniques for instance, and there's a long list ist of royal initiated projects to improve agriculture and farming conditions, education and health. The King is now nearly 80.(Year 2010). Emperor Montezuma II (Aztec Empire) Monarchies existed among the indigenous peoples of the Americas long before the European colonization. Pre-Columbian titles used in the New World included Cacique (in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico) Tlatoani (Nahuatl term for the ruler of an altepetl, Aztec polity), Ajaw (Maya), Sapa Inca (Inca Empire), Morubixaba (Old Tupi for "chief"). When the Europeans arrived they referred to these tracts of land within territories of different aboriginal groups to be kingdoms, and the leaders of these groups were often referred to by the Europeans as Kings, particularly hereditary leaders. Many of the leaders were queens, but this was not understood by the Europeans, who had no knowledge of the indigenous history or languages, much less an understanding of matrilineality . Independent monarchs also emerged.

Augustin I declared himself Emperor of Mexico in 1822, after colonization. Maximilian I ruled as Mexican emperor from 1863 to 1867. Two members of the House of Braganza, Pedro I and Pedro II, ruled Brazil as emperors from 1822 to 1889. (Portrait Maximilian I of Mexico) These American emperors were deposed due to complex issues, including pressure from the highly republican United States, which had declared itself independent of the British monarch in 1776. The British, worried about U.S. colonial expansion, invasion following the American Civil War , and the fact that the U.S. had aided the Mexican republican rebels in overthrowing Maximilian I, pushed for the union of the Canadian provinces into a country in 1867. With Confederation , Canada became a self-governing nation which was considered a kingdom in its own right, though it remained subordinate to the United Kingdom; thus, Victoria was monarch of Canada, but not sovereign of it.

It was not until the passing of the Statute of Westminster that Canada was considered to be under a distinct Canadian Crown, separate to that the British, and not until 1953 that the Canadian monarch, at the time Elizabeth II , was titled by Canadian law as Queen of Canada. Between 1931 and 1983 nine other previous British colonies attained independence as kingdoms, all, including Canada, in a personal union relationship under a shared monarch. Therefore, though today there are legally ten American monarchs, one person occupies each distinct position. See Canadian Confederation TODAY MONARCHIST By the 18th century, absolute monarchy changed into the enlightened despotism of rulers such as Frederick (II) the Great of Prussia (reigned 1740–86) and Catherine (II) the Great of Russia (reigned 1762–96), but rule by one person failed to meet the needs of the modern world. The French Revolution destroyed absolute monarchy in France, and World War I led to the collapse of the royal families of Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary.

The Manchu dynasty fell in China in 1912, and the emperors of Japan abandoned divine rule after World War II. There are twelve monarchies in Europe today; ten of these are states whose head of state (a monarch) inherits his or her office, and usually keeps it for life or until they abdicate. The head of state in the State of the Vatican City, the pope, is elected at the papal conclave . The joint heads of state of Andorra are the elected President of France and the appointed Bishop of Urgell . At the dawn of the 20th century, France , Switzerland and San Marino were the only European nations to have a republican form of government.The ascent of republicanism to the political mainstream started only at the beginning of the 20th century, facilitated by the toppling of various European monarchies through war or revolution; as at the beginning of the 21st century, most of the states in Europe are republics with either a directly or indirectly elected head of state.

Question: The king of which country has ruled since 9th June 1946?
Answer: Thailand